


Money Isn't Everything

by deantookmybiscuits



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Homeless, First work - Freeform, Foster Care, Homelessness, Hospitals, I probably forgot some things, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Photographs, Pulmary Edema, Sad Percy Jackson, Sick Hazel, Sick Leo, Social Worker Chiron, cliche summary, kinda gangs, parental Percy Jackson, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-25 12:36:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12531524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deantookmybiscuits/pseuds/deantookmybiscuits
Summary: Percy Jackson has lived on the streets since he was eight, one of the most important lessons he's learned is Money isn't everything. Annabeth Chase has always been Daddy's little girl, she has everything she has ever wanted but her father always says the only way to success is money. When Annabeth and her friends accidentally stumble upon Percy and his patchwork family both of their worlds change forever.





	1. Meeting the Kids

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in a weird world that is sort of Futuristic. I don't really know what it is. The first few chapters were written a long time ago so it gets better as it goes along, I promise. 
> 
> Other than that thanks for clicking on my story and I hope you enjoy!

Percy POV

Money isn't everything.

That's what I've learned over the years. That's the main lesson my life has taught me. Money has taken everything I love from me.

I pull my knees up to my chest and shiver, it's raining and I'm not ready to go in yet. Into that abandoned factory that is now my home. I wish I didn't have to but I do. I wish I didn't have to see their scared, sad faces but I do. Unless I want to die or want them to die. Who are they you ask? They are the kids I live with Jason, Thalia, Leo, Hazel and Nico.

I push myself up and pick up the bag of food I managed to find today. I push open the heavy old door. We live on the top floor of this monstrous building which means lots of stairs. In the beginning it was hard to climb all the stairs, now I hardly break a sweat.

When I reach the top Nico rushes to great me. I found him and Hazel two years ago, it feels like an eternity. Nico's ten and Hazel's nine.

'What did you get?' Nico asks, excited.

'I got some bread and an only two day's old gar of peanut-butter,' I tell him.

He grins and runs off to find Hazel. I walk to the main room, where I find Jason making a fire.

'Hey,' he says when he sees me, 'What did you get?'

'Some bread and two day old peanut-butter,' I sit down next to him and warm my hands on the fire.

'Well, looks like we'll be having a feast tonight,' Jason mutters sarcastically.

I roll my eyes at him, 'Bitter much.' He only grunts.

'Where's Leo?' I ask.

'With Hazel,' Jason mutters.

'And where's Hazel?' I prompt.

'She's in the store-room,' he grins, 'They're sorting things.'

'Okay,' I don't know why that's so great but I get up and go find them stacking plates. Most of them have been glued back together by Leo but we have three non-cracked ones. I help them.

'So, how are you today?' I ask Leo. You see the thing is, Leo's sick. We don't know with what or any of that, we just know he is.

'I'm fine,' Leo mutters. He hates us fussing.

The door buzzer buzzes and Nico runs to see who it is.

'What did you get?' Nico asks and we all get up.

Thalia's home and that means supper time.


	2. Don't Punch the Rich KId

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> . In this fanfiction there are only pairings from the books, like percabeth and Jasper and those kinds of things.
> 
> Here are the characters ages:
> 
> Nico- 10  
> Hazel- 9  
> Leo- 12  
> Percy- 14  
> Thalia- 14  
> Jason- 13
> 
> These are their ages but they tend to act a bit older.
> 
> The other kids who you haven't really met yet.
> 
> Annabeth- 14  
> Frank- 12  
> Calypso- 12  
> Piper- 13  
> Will- 11  
> Grover- 15

"So, how was your day?" Thalia asks.

"Good," Leo mutters.

"What did you get?" I ask because she still hasn't told us.

She rolls her eyes, "I know it wasn't my turn for the food run but I found a bar of chocolate someone threw away and I couldn't resist. I also got a few steps of fabric and almost a whole bowl."

"Can we eat the chocolate now?" Hazel asks.

"No, we have to save it," Jason says, spreading peanut butter on bread for her.

She pouts, "Please."

"No," he insists, handing her the sandwich to shut her up. We laugh and eat our own but we all want to eat the chocolate like Hazel, we just don't say.

After we finish eating it's time for bed and I full out the mattress while Thalia quickly stichers the new fabric onto the blanket or patchwork quilt.

We full off our jackets and me and Thalia our shoes before piling onto the mattress and pulling on the blanket thingy.

Though we'd very much like to none of us fall asleep quickly. We ly there for an hour before Hazel falls asleep, then Nick and Leo, then Jason. Now it's just me and Thalia awake.

"I wish we didn't have lie here every night worrying about them," Thalia says. I don't know if she knows I'm awake. "I wish we didn't have to be their parents, I wish they had parents, I wish I didn't have to look at Hazel and see such suffering in her eyes when she's only nine, I wish our parents had cared about us, I wish the rich weren't such parts and I wish you would tell me what you wish."

"I wish most of the things you wish, I wish Leo would get better, I wish we weren't homeless, I wish you would tell me your story, I wish I had the ability to sleep at night," I tell her.

"They're so young, why did happen to them, to us," she rolls over to face me, "You never see adults living on the streets any more, not really. You mostly see children and nobody cares anymore because what is another homeless child when yours is at home safe, when you have everything you want and need, when your rich and on the other side of the divide." she says bitterly.

"You want to stay home tomorrow? I can take Jason with me instead," I ask.

"No it's fine I've got to come, if he goes then you'll have to keep him with you and you won't get as much done, " Thalia smiles sadly.

"Just don't punch the first rich person you see, okay?" I say.

"Okay," she mutters.

"We should probably go to sleep," I say.

She nods, "Yeah, because we don't want to run on zero sleep. Again."

I roll my eyes, "Goodnight Thals."

"Night Perce," she says, but I can tell she's not going to sleep for awhile.


	3. What is There to Laugh About?

I wake up to the sound of laughter. Who is that?

I yawn and sit up. Thalia is sitting up next to me.

'Who is that?' she asks.

'How would I know?' I grumble, 'What time is it?'

'Five thirty,' she yawns.

I get up and walk over to the blown out window. On the street five kids are walking past the factory, laughing. They don't seem to notice the people shying away from them or the early hour. It seems all they care about is the joke they're laughing at. Pretty typical of their type.

'What is it?' Thalia asks.

'Just a bunch of kids,' I tell her.

'We're a bunch of kids,' she says.

'No, we're not,' I say under my breath, then louder, 'Rich ones.'

'Oh, that makes more sense,' she mutters getting up.

'Should we wake them?' I ask looking at them lying on the mattress, sleeping peacefully.

'No, let them sleep,' Thalia sighs, 'So, who does what today?'

'I'll do food again and you can do other stuff. Leo's got a fever again and Hazel's got a cough,' I tell her.

'Great,' she says sarcastically.

'Come on, we should go,' I say picking up a plastic shopping bag.

On our way out a voice calls out, 'Where are you going?' 

It's Hazel. She runs to us.

'We're going out,' Thalia tells her.

'Why?' she asks.

'Because we have to,' I say.

She smiles sadly and it doesn't surprise me at all because while she may be nine she doesn't act like it.

'Will you come back early? I've got a painting I want to show you,' she smiles.

'If you get back into bed,' I say.

'Okay,' she nods and runs back to the mattress.

We walk out onto the street and nearly crash into the laughing kids but if years of living on the street give you anything it's great balance and the ability to stop very suddenly.

'Whoa,' I mutter just managing not to topple over.

Thalia looks murderous and I sent her a sharp look. She shrugs and mutters something under her breath. I turn back to the kids and find that they're blocking our way.

'Um, could you move?' I ask.

'Yeah, sorry,' a brown haired girl at the front says and they move of down the road, still laughing.

'How can there be so much in the world to laugh about?' Thalia mutters.

'I have no idea, Thals, I have no idea,' I say, shaking my head. We continue on our way.


	4. Meeting Annabeth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people of this earth. Here is my next chapter.

Thalia POV

I stare at the girl in front of me and have to remind myself not to punch her. She didn't do anything to you, I remind myself. She didn't but I know her, we used to go to school together before everything in my life went wrong. Annabeth Chase. She was nice but she is rich and will never know that it's like to live the way I do, which is probably why I want to punch her. Also, probably because she reminds me of before and I happen to have a lot of pent up rage about those things. 

"Thalia?" she says in disbelief.

I'm surprised she remembers my name, "Annabeth," I mutter.

"So it is you," she smiles. What the hell is there to smile about, it's like those laughing kids this morning, what is there to laugh about? Must be a lot funny things when you've got a home.

"Yeah it's me," I sigh.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm surviving," I say shortly then turn and walk away, leaving her gaping after me. Probably very confused too. 

For the rest of the day I real foul tempered, refiling through bins as though they were the things that made me angry. In truth it's not Annabeth that made me angry it's the way she lives. Without the constant fear I have become accustomed to. The fact that she knows where her next metal's coming from. That if she wants food she doesn't have to put it on the table like I do. Well actually Percy usually gets the food but you get the gist of what I'm saying.

Okay concentrate. What do you need? Hazel has a cough so another blanket would be good and Leo's got a fever which I can't do anything about. Unless I magically find some medicine which is unlikely. 

I pull a plastic bottle out of the bin triumphant. What can I use it for you ask? Well lots of things. One of them being filling it with rain water. Another filling it with stones so I can use it to weigh down the sheet of plastic currently shielding us from the wind and other forces of nature.

I shiver and look up.Speaking of forces of nature, it looks like it's going to rain. I better get home. I look down at my pitiful haul. All I have is two plastic bags, an old pen for Hazel and a scrap of what looks like denim. Oh well, it'll have to do. I start walking home and the first drops of rain start to fall. I start running and am home in a few minutes.

I lean against the wall outside. Not to catch my breath but to stall because I don't want to go in and see Hazel's eyes, so full of hope yet so defeated, to Nico's endless questions, to Jason's bitter attitude, to Leo's constant coughing and to Percy' sad smile masking everything he feels. I don't want to be reminded I couldn't keep my brother safe That I am a mother and I have to look after these kids, I don't want to go back in there but I have to unless I want to catch a cold and add to the left no list of things we have to worry about.

I push myself off the wall with a sigh, take the steps two at a time and push open the door. Nice runs to meet me.

"What did you get?" he asks.

"Nothing special," I tell him, "Will you do me a favour and collect some stones for me?"

"Sure," he runs off, probably to enlist Hazel's help. They like collected the stones, even if really the stones are just small pieces of rubble. 

I walk through to the main room where Jason is kneeling by the fire, he never really seems to leave it despite the fact that he's in charge when Percy and I are out.

"Hello, little brother," I joke and he just grunts so I nudge him with the toe of my boot.

"What?" he snaps.

I raise my eyebrows at him, "Grumpy much. I just said hello."

"Oh, hi. Sorry," he sighs.

"It's fine. Where's Leo?" I ask.

"Asleep," Jason answers, looking worried. Which is somehow a nice change from his usual glare, even if worried isn't much better.

I look around and state the obvious, "Not in here."

"No, he went somewhere quieter," Jason explains.

I start to reply but I'm interrupted by the arrival of Percy. Rude.

"Hey guys," he plonks himself down next to us.

"Hi," we answer in unison.

"Where's Leo?" he asks, looking around. He must have run into Hazel and Nico already. 

"Asleep," I answer, going through the food Percy managed to find and pulling out our supper.

Percy looks worried, "Is he okay?"

"Dunno," Jason shrugs.

Percy sighs, "You should wake him up, he needs to eat."

"Sure," he gets up and slouches out of the room.

Well I guess it's time to eat and then we'll sleep and then we'll do everything again tomorrow.


	5. Telling the Story

You okay?" Percy asks. We're sitting in the main room with our legs dangling off the edge of the building.

"Yeah, just had a run in with someone today," I tell him. I'm not exactly sure when it happened but at some point Percy and I stopped lying and started to trust each other. No, I don't like him like that we just understand and know what it's like for the other. Besides it's easier this way, easier to survive and look after the kids.

"Who?" he asks, curiously.

"Annabeth Chase," I muttered, looking down at the street below us.

"How do you know her?" he prompts.

I guess it's story time then, "Before this, when I lived with my dad we went to school together. She was my best friend, so to speak. She was cool, funny and smart even though we where only ten and together, along with Luke, we were a group of sorts but they never understood. Not really. Not like you guys. Luke was bitter and Annabeth was perfect. I could never talk to them about what life had been like with my mom and how worried I was about Jason because they were ten and they didn't understand. They never would.

"Luke had bad past sure but he was two years older than us and it was okay for a twelve year old to be like that but a ten year old. That just didn't happen. Eventually we started drifting apart and then it happened. We had had a fight the day before, Annabeth and Luke had accused me of not trusting them. It was already a bad day so when I saw the cops outside the house I just grabbed Jason and ran. I didn't want us to be dumped on any other relative who didn't want us so I just ran. That was the last I saw of them until today."

"So it's been four years since you've seen them," he mused.

"Yeah, I guess it has. I haven't really thought about it," I say.

"Mm," he contemplates, "No time to think about it, really."

"So, are you going to tell me a story now?" I ask because that's how this thing works with us. I tell him something he tells me something.

"Um, sure. I ran away when I was eight but you know that, what you don't know is why. Come to think of it I didn't know why you ran away either until just now," he takes a deep breath, "It was the last day of term and I was happy because no school for two weeks but I was also scared because that meant I had to be at home with Gabe for two weeks. I hated school but I hated Gabe more. We I got home it was silent, which was the first sign something was wrong.

"I pushed open the door expecting to find Gabe playing poker with his friends or something but there was nothing. The flat was empty. Devoid of anything. No people. No furniture. Nothing. I ran to my room but it was empty too. I checked everywhere but everything was gone. I tried turning on the taps but there was no water. I tried turning on the lights but there was no electricity. All I had was my school bag. I stayed there for a week before as man came to collet the rent. He threw me out saying I couldn't stay in his flat unless I could pay for it so I ran. I didn't stop running until I was far away."

"Have you stopped running now?" I ask.

"Honestly Thals, I think I have., Percy smiles slightly, before shaking his head with a chuckle.

"Me to, Perce, me to," I say, leaning on him. We would have fallen asleep like that but Hazel ran in waving a paper around.

"Here's my painting," she shoves it at us. It was beautiful, like every other painting she's ever made. Sometimes I wonder how she does it.

"Come on, time for bed," Percy gets up and picks Hazel up, making her squeal.

I laugh and get up myself. Time to sleep.


	6. Annabeth and Rachel

I'm riffling through the bins, looking for food, when someone shouts, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

It's a kitchen maid, probably come to throw out more perfectly good food. It's despicable. They waste so many things, but can't spare a shred of kindness.

"What does it look like? I'm looking for food," I tell her, sighing. I don't really have time for this

"Oh." This seems to stump her. "Well why don't you go home to get food?"

"There's no food at home," I wouldn't expect a kitchen maid to be so naive but it seems she is, "Do you think I enjoy riffling through peoples rubbish?"

"Oh," she says and then it seems to click. I expect her to shoo me away like a dog but instead she says, "Why don't you some inside?"

I stand there stunned for a moment before following her in.

"I'm Rachel," she tells me smiling.

"Percy," I say, after a moments hesitation. Information is dangerous, especially names, but she's not really one of them anyway. She's more like us.

"It's nice to meet you Percy," she says, still smiling. Well, kinda like us.

"Yeah," I mumble. I'm distracted by the hugeness of this place and how much food there is just lying around.

She laughs, "Why don't you sit down and I'll make you some tea?

"Won't your boss mind?" I ask surprised.

"The cook won't and Mr Chase will never know," she tells me shrugging.

"Okay," I say uncertainly. She makes the tea and comes and sits across from me. Her smile is still fixed in place, her eyes smiling along with her mouth.

"So what's your story?" Rachel asks.

"What's yours?" I ask, unwilling to give away any information about me and my family.

"My dad and I used to live in one of those fancy apartments, you know?" she says and I do, how could I not? I see them everyday towering over everything, "He was the owner of a big company and we were happy. I mean he didn't really have time for me but I was much better off than most people. It changed though when his company fell into debt and he had to sell everything we had. Mr Chase was an old family friend and he gave us both jobs here. I guess that's all there is to it."

But it isn't , I can tell. There was something she left out but that's okay because there are millions of things I'm not telling her.

Annabeth POV

I know I shouldn't be here but I can't seem to pull my eyes away from the boy going through my bins. I can't see the appeal of going through bins to be honest and I don't think he's enjoying it. I've seem the boy around before and I can't help but wonder where he's from. He's probably just another homeless boy and that makes me sad. I know I shouldn't but I think I should. Expressions like just another homeless boy shouldn't be so common. It shouldn't be normal. I have money and dad says that money is the only way to success. What about that boy? Will he never feel success because he doesn't have any money?

My encounter with Thalia the other day left me shaken. Especially her answer to my question, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm surviving," then she walked away. Thalia always had a sad, broken look in her eyes, something you don't usually see in a ten year old, but now her eyes are guarded and weary, still sad and broken but guarded like she's hiding everything else she feels from the world. I miss Thalia. I wonder if she know what happened to Luke. Probably not.

I sigh as I watch the boy. He has messy black hair and is wearing a ratty old coat. I watch as Rachel the kitchen maid comes out and shouts at him. I watch as they talk and she leads him inside. I don't know much about Rachel or any of the servants really and that makes me feel bad because their supposed to serve me and I know nothing about them.

My dad says I shouldn't feel bad and maybe I shouldn't but I do anyway. I can never work out if that makes me good or bad. Calypso says it's good and so does Will but Piper says I should just forget about it. I haven't really talked to Frank or Grover about it.

"Annabeth," a voice calls. I turn to see Sam, one of maids, "Your father wants you."

"Thank you, Sam. I'll me there just now," I tell her with a small smile.

"Yes, my lady," she bobs a curtsy before leaving. I've lost count of the times someones curtsied to me.

I take one last look out the window before leaving and see a group of four children walking in the street obviously homeless.


	7. They Finally Meet!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't very good but yeah, they finally meet. My excuse for the terribleness of this chapter is that I'm not very good at writing Piper.
> 
> Also, the writing of this story is actually okay after this point. Not okay, but not totally cringe worthy. This story is also on fanfiction.net and Wattpad, under the same name. It currently has twenty-three chapters on those, so if you like it enough that you don't want to wait (which I doubt) or simply am curious about whether my writing actually gets any better you can look there.

Piper POV

I stare out the window as we drive. There are people in rags sleeping in door ways or just standing on the side of the road. I'm not Annabeth, I'm better than them and I know it. I've got money and in this world that's what counts.

"Piper, we're almost there," my mother says and I take a deep breath, I don't know why but I feel like something important is going to happen tonight. Which is weird and also dramatic.

We pull up in front of the Chase household and the driver opens my door. He helps me out and I walk up the drive, as we walk my mother puts her arm around my shoulder. Her smile seems slightly forced, it usually is.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"Yes, I don't see why I wouldn't be," I tell her, feeling a bit confused.

"Mm," is all she says.

After all the formal greetings I go up see Annabeth in her room. We've been best friends since before either of us can remember. Our dads are business partners and our mothers are best friends.

"Piper!" she cries as I enter the room and she flings her arms around me.

"Hey," I laugh, staggering slightly from the force with which she threw herself at me.

She pulls away from me blushing slightly, "Sorry, it's just I haven't seen anyone other than my parents for two weeks."

"It's okay, Annie we all have our moments," I pat her arm in joking consolation. 

"Hey, you would to if your parents kept you locked up in the house all the time. I swear they lock my room at night!" she exclaims.

"Okay, okay," I laugh, going over to sit on her bed. We sit and talk for awhile before there's a knock on the door and Calypso walks in leaving Will standing by the door looking awkward.

"Hey guys," she smiles slightly.

"Can you please come out here?" Will begs, "My legs are tired and anyway it's awkward to talk to you through to door."

Annabeth laughs and gets up. We all follow her to a little sitting room off the main passage. A sitting room in which the boys are actually allowed. Grover arrives shortly after with Frank in tow.

"I have an idea," Annabeth says seriously, but with a mischievous expression. 

"Well, let's hear it then," I say, grinning.

"It's obvious we're not invited to the diner, so I was thinking why don't we go out? Be adventurers and roam the streets away from our parents ever watchful gazes," she suggests, with a little shrug. As though this is something that's completely plausible and not at all insane.

"That's an awesome idea," Will exclaims but then he frowns, "We're not really dressed for that though."

"Don't worry, I have clothes you can borrow," Annabeth grins.

After we're all kitted out in jeans and jackets we somehow manage to sneak through the kitchen and onto the street. Well, it's more of an alley than a street. There's over following bins and rubbish all over the alley. It's disgusting.

We take of walking with no puticular destination in mind. We amble along the streets making more noise than is probably advisable. We've probably disturbed some people's sleep. Oh who cares? We're better than them, we have the right to make as much noise as we want. It's them that has to be quiet not the other way around.

"It's so beautiful," Grover says breaking the silence that had settled over us a few minutes ago. He's staring at the sky. "But you can hardly see the stars from all the pollution."

I roll my eyes at him, biggest nature nerd you will ever meet. That's what Grover is. "Come on, Grover, enjoy being free from our jailers otherwise known as parents," I say, throwing my arms back emphasis my point.

"Oh yeah," the voice comes from an alley to our right. The person steps into the light, "Well, at least you have then ungrateful brats. You're all over there complaining about not having the right meals, about how your maids aren't fast enough and how your parents are overprotective, meanwhile here we are, starving to death out in the cold. Learning to survive and take care of each other because there's no one else to do it. You all think you're better than us," the boy laughs bitterly, there is a dirty eye patch over his one eye.

"Well, we are," I say with a laugh. What is he talking about? Of course we're better than them.

"Look rich girl, if you think that then you're either brainwashed or really stupid or, maybe, both," he takes something out of his pocket and starts playing with it, "Let me tell you a story, when I was twelve my mother tried to kill me, she took my eye put with a knife. I didn't have anywhere to go so I ended up on the street. I almost died from hunger, dehydration, cold and infection then a group took me in. They saved my life. Tell me ungrateful brats, how many lives have you saved? How many times have you almost died? How many times have you had to survive without mummy and daddy?" his voice is mocking, "Never, that's when."

Other people come out of the shadows, all carrying weapons of some sort. They surround us, pressing us up against the wall. Their eyes are full of hate and yet somehow they all look broken. No, I'm sure that's just my imagination trying to make them seem like us.

I close my eyes as they advance and press my self against the wall and curse these stupid rays who think they're better than us.

Our Savior comes from an unexpected place. "Ethan, leave them alone," a voice calls out from the dark.

The boy, Ethan, turns to face the intruder, "Why, Jackson? I'm in desperate need of knew jeans."

"She's Graces," he points to Annabeth, "And anyway I hear that one," he points at me, "has a father in a high up place."

Ethan looks surprised, "Thalia knows her?"

"Yeah, from before. They were friends, I don't think she'd be too happy about you stealing her and her friends clothes then leaving them here to starve to death, do you?" the boy asks.

"No, I don't suppose she would," he says dejected, "Well, there goes my jeans, I swear these are going to fall apart any day now," he fingers his jeans with a sigh, I can't help but agree with him, his jeans are full of rips and look so old they could spontaneously combust.

"I'm sure you can find some somewhere else," the boy rolls his eyes, then turns to us, "Well, come on. We don't have all night."

We don't need to be told twice, we run after him as fast as we can, still stunned by the sudden rescue and scared that they'll attack us again.


	8. Meeting Thalia and Nico

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, hello people of this universe. My writing is a big off and this chapter is very short, but whatever.

Thalia POV

There is a buzz from the hallway and Nico jumps up to get it. Percy went out an hour ago to maybe look for more kids like us but more likely to just get out of here. Hazel's already asleep. Leo is building something somewhere. Nico should be in bed but he wanted to wait up with me and Jason, Ssubborn brat that he is.

Nico's voice drifts in from the hallway, "Who are they? They look rich."

A voice that is not Percy's answers, "Stupid little brat, of course we're rich."

I get up and walk to the door, standing with Percy is a group of six teenagers, one of them is…Annabeth? 

"Percy?" I call, "Who are they and why are they here?"

"Um, well one of them is your former friend Annabeth and they're here because they were stupid enough to go out after dark by themselves and make noise," seeing my look he explains, "They were cornered by Ethan and his 'gang'."

"So you brought them here?" I ask, incredulous.

"Well, one of them is yours and the other is rich as hell with a father who would kill Ethan if he stole his daughters clothes and left her to die in an alley," he shrug nonchalantly. 

"Why would Ethan do that? He knows what it's like and what would happen if he was caught," I say.

"New jeans, you've seen his jeans," Percy grins.

"I've seen his jeans," I agree, smirking.

"So it's okay to mug people if you need new jeans?!" the girl who called Nico a brat asks, sounding slightly hysterical.

"Well, a naked Ethan is not something anyone wants to see and, anyway, it's not like you don't have lots of other clothes," I shrug, because their rules don't apply here.

They all stare at me like I'm mad, except Annabeth who is staring at me for a different reason. She's staring like I'm a ghost likely to disappear if she concentrates hard enough.

"Don't you?" the girl who is very stupid asks, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

"Nope, these are my one and only set of clothes and have been for," I look at Percy for confirmation, "Two years?" He nods. "Two years."

"You've been wearing the same clothes for two years?" Annabeth asks.

"Well, this jacket is new and I do wash them every week," I say defensively.

"How new is new," the boy with golden hair asks.

"A year," Percy supplies from his current position leaning against the wall.

"A year is new?" the girl who is very stupid asks. She needs a name.

I nod, "Names, I'm Thalia."

"Piper," stupid girl says. Fitting somehow.

"Will Solace," the golden haired one says. Huh,Solace.

"Frank," he looks like a wrestler with a babies face. Basically a giant teddy bear. 

"Calypso," the girl at the back with her hair in a plat.

"Grover." I know him from somewhere. Not sure where though.

"Well, I'm Annabeth but you know that," Annabeth says.

"I don't," Nico squeaks in indignantly, "I'm Nico."

"Percy," Percy says with a smirk.


	9. Arrangements of the Sleeping Kind

Thalia POV

"Okay, introductions out of the-" I start but am interrupted.

"Who are they?" a sleepy voice calls out from behind me. Hazel. She's supposed to be asleep, crap. Why?

"Haze, come on. It's the middle of the night," Nico says, taking her hand and trying to lead her away but she shakes him off and pouts, "I don't want too."

Percy sighs, "Come here, Hazel," she runs into his arms and he lifts her up, "They are some people who Ethan cornered in an alley."

"Should you tell her that?" Annabeth asks but Percy ignores her, "And we couldn't have him getting taken to prison so I rescued them or, well, I talked some sense into Ethan. Luke will find him some jeans and Reyna can deal with the rest of them."

Annabeth is frozen, it's probably a combination of the mention of Luke, the fact that Percy just told a little girl about being attacked in dark alleys and the fact that we think it's okay to mug someone for new jeans. The whole Luke thing came as a shock to me too. I hadn't seen him for years then the Titans turned up, suddenly Luke was back and leading a group of people just like us. A whole community of homeless children with a family. We've been there once, the day when we realised Leo was sick and then again when Percy came down with the flu, Hazel couldn't hold it in anymore, Jason wouldn't get up and Nico ran away. That was a bad day alright. They gave us food and a mattress and Nico's jacket.

I'm sure you're wondering who Reyna is, right? She was the leader of a group called Jupiter, Jason stayed with them for a while before we found Percy, I stayed with the Hunters, anyway she was until Luke came along and they melded together. Becoming one big group instead of two smaller ones.

"Did you just tell a little girl about being cornered in a dark alley?" Piper, the stupid girl, shrieks.

Hazel glares at her, "I'll have you know that I've been cornered in plenty of dark alleys and some not so dark ones too. Not to mention that I'm still alive despite the fact I was five when it happened for the first time, not fourteen." I try to stifle my laugh to no avail, the look on her face.

"Go back to bed Hazel," Percy smiles.

"I'll take her," Nico volunteers.

"You do that, Nico but you're not coming back," I tell him, smirking.

"But Jason gets to stay!" Nico protests.

"Jason is thirteen and-" Percy says.

"Not in there!" Jason shouts from the main room.

"Yes, thank you for that wonderful piece of information, Jase, because we are all blind and cannot see that fact," I shout back sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up," he mutters coming through the door.

"All of you too bed!" Percy shouts, "Including you Leo!" he adds as an after thought.

"Aw, man," Leo moans, "I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"How could we ever forget you, Repair Boy, especially with all that coughing you do!" I laugh, "Now go before Percy blows a fuse and Nico passes out on the floor!"

They all leave (with much grumbling of course) and we're alone with the mysterious group of teenagers. Okay, maybe mysterious is the wrong word for them. Annoying, perhaps would describe them better or intruding. Maybe horrific or idiotic. The real question of course is what do we do with them? We can't send them home alone at this time and we can't go with them either. Their parents will worry if they don't come back soon but they won't go back unless they wait until morning. Ugh, why is this so complicated? We don't have enough space for all of them to sleep here and I doubt they could sleep on the floor.

"Percy, can I have a word please?" I ask and he follows me into the other room.

"What?" he whispers.

"What do we do with them?" I whisper back.

"We can't send them home so they'll have to stay here," he answers with a sigh, running his hand through his hair.

"Yeah but where will they sleep?" I ask.

"One of them could sleep on the couch and we still have those to roll out mats, right?" he says.

"Yeah, and we can fit three on the bed if we sleep on the floor," I complete his plan.

"Or not sleep," Percy mutters.

"Yeah or not sleep," I agree.


	10. A Much Needed Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so bad, I'm sorry.

Annabeth POV

I watch as Thalia pulls out the mattress from another room, is this really what has become of the mighty Thalia Grace? A homeless girl that probably weighs 25 kilograms and hates more than she loves. Why did she leave? Why did she do this to herself and Jason? Why didn't she stay with her dad and with us? She knows what happened to Luke, one thing I don't. It seems like everyone but me knows and he was my best friend. It's not fair.

The little boy, Nico, runs up to me, "Who are you?" he asks.

"Annabeth Chase," I tell him confused, he knows who I am.

"No, not your name silly," he says impatiently, "What's your story, what makes you Annabeth Chase?"

"I like books and movies, my dad is one of the richest people in the world so I pretty much have an unlimited supply of both those things. I just wish he would spend more time with me." Why am I telling him this? Can't stop now. "I know he loves me but my stepmother doesn't really think I need him anymore, she thinks I need female guidance. Which I do and she's nice but she doesn't understand that I still need my dad."

"You should tell her that," Nico says wisely then jumps right to another question, "You have books? New ones? And movies?"

"Yeah, don't you?" I ask, surprised but not at the same time.

"Well, no. We don't have any movies and the few books we do have are from Luke and some from the bins by the library. They throw out all the old books every month and Percy and Thalia go and fish out the best ones. I can't read though, so Thalia and Percy have to read to me. Jason never does, all he ever does is sit by the fire and sometimes goes out when Percy or Thalia is sick."

I follow Nico's gaze to where Jason is sitting by the fire, his gaze is fixed on Piper who is looking at all the going ones with thinly veiled disgust.

"What's her problem?" Nico asks pointing at Piper.

"She thinks we're disgusting rats that would be better off dead because we don't live in a mansion full of servants," the boy, Leo, says from behind us, startling me.

"That's stupid, we don't hate her because she does do we? And anyway even if we did live in a mansion full of servants she's still hate us because-" Thalia interrupts him.

"We'd be the servants. Now come on, It's time for bed," she says, "Annabeth, you'll be in the mattress with Jason, Nico, Hazel and hater girl over there," she nods towards Piper, "Leo you have to sleep in the storeroom again, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, it's warmer in there anyway but were will you and Percy sleep?" he asks.

"By the fire," she mutters, staring at the floor.

"So, in other words you and Percy will sit on the cold hard ground all night talking and not sleeping at all," Leo says, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Yes, now go to bed you idiot," Thalia says, pushing him towards the door,

"Why can't you and Percy sleep on a mattress or something?" I ask.

"Because there aren't enough mattresses, now go."

888

I lie awake listening to Percy and Thalia's soft voices, "We have to take them back soon or we'll be accused of kidnapping," Thalia says.

"I know but something's strange is going on, anyway we can't send them back quite yet. Who knows? Maybe they'll come in handy?" Percy replies.

They're silent for a few moments the Thalia goes, "Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and leave him there, he would have been happier. Less bitter."

"Maybe," Percy says, "but then again, maybe not. No matter how hard these last few years have been they've been the best of my life, it's better than being alone, anyway. Jason would have been alone if you'd left him there, he may have lived with your father but we both know what kind of a person he is and any friends he might have made would never have compared with you. You guys are my family, as sappy as that sounds, and I think he feels the same way."

"You're my family, the only thing I've got," Thalia says and they fall into silence again. I roll over and see Jason's eyes shining in the darkness. He's smiling sadly and it looks like maybe, just maybe, he might be crying.

"Thalia," I say, sitting up and she turns around so fast you never would've guessed she'd been so peaceful seconds before, "Can we talk? Please?"

Percy gets up, "I'm gonna go check on Leo and see where Hazel's got to, okay Thals?" she nods and he leaves. We're alone now or, well, as alone as one can be in a room full of sleeping people.

I get up and walk over to the fire, settling myself down next to her, the ground is harder than I anticipated. Thalia's eyes are dancing with the light from the flames, their electric blue made darker by the darkness. We sit in silence until she says, "Luke."

"Luke," I repeat.

"His mother was shot and he nearly was too. He ran, I ran, Percy ran, we all ran. You never had to, you didn't because as much as you might complain you still love your life and your family and you don't realise how hard it is for most people," she says softly, her eyes still on the dancing flames, "When I ran I took Jason with me because I couldn't leave him."

"Why did you run?" It probably sounds simple enough but it feels like one of the most important questions I've ever asked.

"The police where at my fathers house just like with my mother and I couldn't do it, not again so I just grabbed Jason and ran. We got split up about a month later, I was looking for food and Reyna found him. They thought he was alone so they took him and he was going through his silent angry faze, angry with me that is, so he didn't bother telling them he had a sister. I went with Artemis after that, until Percy found me." She still won't look at me.

"Artemis, isn't she the one who-"

"Shot the last king?" Thalia completes for me, "No, she was just there and anyway he was worse than this one. Like so many things, it wasn't planned it just happened."

"How's you get here?" I ask.

"Percy helped me find Jason three years ago and we picked up Leo about a month after that, he got sick and we needed shelter. This was the only one livable at the time, about a year after that we found Hazel and Nico. Nico was nine, Hazel eight. I wish they hadn't been out there, they should have been at home with their families. It was Christmas day after all."

"Why weren't they?" I really don't understand why. Maybe that's stupid of me.

"Why do you think?" she snaps and I can sense her closing, pulling her walls back up and shutting me out. So I start talking.

"You just disappeared, they searched for you for months. After two months they said you were either dead or didn't want to be found. They searched for another four months after that but then they stopped, saying it was no use and that you were never going to be found or they would've found you already. We never stopped looking though, we didn't understand why you would leave. Luke thought it might have had something to do with our fight, he said you had finally got tired of our lifestyle," I wait for her to confirm or deny any of this but she doesn't so I continue.

"Your dad was really worried about you, your uncles were too. And we were, maybe more than anyone."


	11. Hazel

Percy POV

Thalia is slowly opening up to Annabeth. It's obvious her last statement left her in shock though. Thalia always assumed they forgot she existed after she disappeared, it's obviously strange for her to realise that she's not that easy to forget. No matter how many times Hazel tells her.

Annabeth really doesn't understand what it means to not have a secure place to be yourself, what it's like not to have a home that's safe and warm, what it's like to constantly be fighting for your right to be alive. She definitely doesn't understand what it can do to your head.

I start as someone sits down next to me. Jason laughs quietly, "Busy in your head, huh?"

"Yeah," I mutter not looking at him. I hope he didn't hear our conversation earlier.

"Thalia doesn't really hate me does she?" There goes that hope, of course he heard us. Everyone probably heard us.

"She doesn't hate you Jason, she loves you but it's hard for her and I don't think you realise that. I think you're a bit caught up in your head to notice how much she really does care about you and how much she does for you. She still thinks you're angry at her. Thalia loves all of you but you all forget she's only fourteen, we both are," I explain tiredly. This conversation is long overdue and not one I should be having.

"I know but she thinks I'm bitter. And I do notice, you're always out and the conversations you have in the dark aren't always as secret as you think. You shouldn't have to be my dad and Thalia shouldn't have to be my mom but you do and it's not right!" Jason shakes his head frustration, "I was angry at her for a while but I think I understand now, she didn't have a choice. Not really. I was always to young to understand, Thalia always bore the brunt of the attacks. From mom, from dad and I was always to caught up in being angry at her to notice she was protecting me."

"I know Jason but Thalia isn't really good with that kind of that thing. It's easier to be distant than to get hurt." We sit in slience for quite some time until Leo comes running out of the store room, panic stricken.

"Hazel's coughing up pink stuff!" he shouts as he runs towards us, "She can't breathe properly, Percy!"

Thalia POV

"You guys misses me?" I ask tentatively. I'm not a tentative person, not timid or shy but it seems impossible. Why would they miss me?

"If course we did, what did you think we forgot about you?" Annabeth is crying now, sobbing really.

I stay silent and she gasps her voice choked with tears, "You didn't did you, you thought we forgot about you."

I can't look at her because I did think they forgot about me. I didn't think I mattered to them enough for them to remember me after I was gone forever or at least it was supposed to be forever bit nothing seems to be going as planned at the moment.

"Oh, Thalia. Why? Why would you think that?" Annabeth sounds heartbroken even though she really doesn't have any right to be, "No one forgot you or Jason, we missed you like hell. We wanted you back, we wanted to laugh with you again or cry or to just see you."

The admission is definitely unexpected, because in some ways I have grown to hate her. In some ways I now harboured deep resentment for her and everything she had. And everything she didn't have.

I'm about to answer when I hear Leo shout, "Hazel's coughing up pink stuff! She can't breathe properly, Percy!"


	12. Luke Castellan

Thalia POV

I jump up and run to the door, Percy is sprinting towards the store room and I follow him, Annabeth is right behind me.

"Hazel, Hazel can you hear me?" Percy asked kneeling next to the small girl.

She nods but is then overcome with a huge fit of coughing. She is indeed coughing up pink stuff and gasping for breathe.

"Luke," Percy says, "We have to take her to Luke and Reyna. They have a hospital, maybe they can help. Maybe they know what this is, otherwise we have to-" he breaks off but I know what he means. The unspoken word between us.

"What's going on?" Nico asks sleepily, "Why is everyone on here?"

"Nico," I say gently, "Hazel's sick and we have to take her to Luke. We'll be back soon, I promise. Why don't you go back to bed?"

Nico shook his head, "No, I'm coming with you. She's my sister."

"Why aren't you taking her to the hospital?" Annabeth asks, "She obviously needs doctors not teenagers."

"We can't." I say, "God don't you think I want to? I want to take her to a hospital and I want her to have the best treatment possible bit what do you think they'll do? They'll put her in the foster system and the rest of us too. I can't do that to them, I can't. The hospital is last resort, it's always last resort."

"Isn't here life worth more than your pride, Thalia Grace? Isn't what she needs more important than what you want?" Annabeth demands.

I round on her, "Do you know what's it's like in foster care, Annabeth Chase? Do you know haw much they despise most of us? How many of them don't care about anything more than looking good. We're like dolls to them, we aren't worth anything to them. Sure, they are the good ones who actually want to help you but that never lasts long. The social workers are moving you around again or your nightmares and your attitude get to much for them and they snap. You have no idea what you're talking about, thus has nothing to do with my pride or independence. This is about them, all of them."

Percy scoops Hazel up into his arms, whispering quietly to her. She treads her arms around his neck and he starts towards the door. He brushes past Annabeth roughly and without so much as a goodbye. I know he's had a few of his own experiences with social services.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand, Annabeth," Leo whispers, not looking at her, "It'll get you into trouble and that's not worth it. You'll make many enemies that way."

"Jason you're in charge. Come on Nico, let's go," I shove past her and take Nico's hand. We catch up with Percy on the street. He's frowning and looking down at Hazel with a worried expression, "I don't understand what's wrong with her, she's usually fine. Hardly ever gets sick, what if it's really bad?"

Annabeth POV

I don't understand why they can't just take her to the hospital. Yes, social services would intervene but surely that's a small price to pay for her life?

Thalia brushes roughly past me, following Percy. She's right, I don't know anything about the foster system and what it's like but it can't be that bad. Why would they let children live like that? Then again, why would they let children live like this?

"Come on guys," Jason says, "let's get back to bed. Hazel won't get better simply because we wish for it and worrying about her won't help either."

"Jason," Leo mutters, "You suck at pep talks."

"Whatever. Bed, now," Jason pushes Leo out the room and the rest of us follow reluctantly.


	13. Pulmonary Edema

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no medical training, everything comes from Google.

Calypso POV

I watch as the blond one, Jason sits by the fire. He's staring at the fire but it's obvious he's not seeing the flames. Thirteen, he's thirteen and the other boy, Leo, is twelve. They've got their whole lives ahead of them but here they sitting in an abandoned warehouse building with no glass in the windows and damp everywhere. It's not fair that we should have everything and them nothing when the only thing setting us apart is where we were born, it's pure chance.

Everyone thinks this is Annabeth's crusade of course and for the most part it is but she doesn't know how to act on her feelings or know anything about what it's actually like out here.

"Are you from that big tall tower?" I hear Leo ask Piper. Apparently sensing some disaster, everyone turns to look at them.

Piper sneers, "No, you idiot. I live in a mansion with a huge grounds and, like, a million servants. God, I thought we were the same age but you're far too stupid to be the same age as me, what are you ten?"

"No, actually I'm twelve and I think the flats are nicer than being here. A lot of them are actually fancy." Leo counters, barely blinking under Pipers death glare.

"Yeah, well, you would think that wouldn't you considering you live here." Piper smirks cruelly. Suddenly Jason jumps up and drags here out of the room into the main one, ignoring her screaming protests.

Frank yawns and returns to his position on the couch with Grover and pulls the blanket over himself. Grover is still asleep and snoring slightly.

"Come one, Annabeth, Will you should go to sleep." I say returning to my own position on a mattress that's about as thick as two yoga mats on top of one another. Annabeth and Will go and lie on the mattress without protest but Leo goes to sit by the fire. I fall asleep watching him as he drew on with a stich from the fire,

Percy POV

"Come on, Haze, we're almost there. It'll be okay, just stay awake." I whisper to Hazel as we run. Thalia had to pick Nico up because he was slowing us down. Hazel nods sleepily up at me.

We finally reach Luke's warehouse. It's lit up as though it's a working factory, and the guard at the door sees us coming and runs out to meet us.

"Are you okay, what's going on?" he asks and I see it's Chris.

"It's Hazel," Thalia gasps, "She's sick and coughing up pink stuff."

Chris immediately lets us in without even consulting Luke when he sees the state Hazel's in. We run towards the medical wing where Zoe immediately takes her from me and rushes her to Apollo, the only adult here and luckily someone with medical training.

Luke arrives looking very tired with Reyna behind him. He immediately takes Thalia into his arms and I'm glad to see they're working it out but I can't take my eyes off where Hazel disappeared. Reyna approaches me silently, startling me when she puts a hand on my shoulder, "She'll be okay for now, Apollo will find out what's wrong with her."

"I know," I nod, "It's not exactly that I'm worried about right now, what if it's something really bad? We have no choice but to take her to the hospital and then it's social services and foster care for all of us. Now don't get me wrong, social workers aren't bad people and neither are some of the foster parents but them there are the ones who do this for show or their out sadistic pleasure."

"More than likely it'll be nothing," Reyna says though we both know that's not true. More than likely it's something bad and we'll have no choice but to take her to the hospital. The pink stuff is probably phlegm mixed with blood and God only knows what that means.

I go over to where Thalia has seated herself and plop myself down next to her. She and Luke are talking quietly but when I sit down they stop.

"Hey, Perce. Good to see you again." He says.

"If only it was by choice," I say, closing my eyes and leaning back against the wall. All the hours of lost sleep are catching up with me and I soon fall asleep.

888

I'm awoken my Thalia shaking me about an hour later, Apollo is there and Hazel is asleep in his arms. I sit up immediately and ask, "Is she okay? Is she going to be okay?"

Apollo sighs, "She's got a Pulmonary Edema causing her to cough up blood mixed with phlegm. I can't treat it, unfortunately, so you've got to take her to the hospital. I also don't know what caused it, you can give all this information to the doctors there."

"O-okay, we'll do that then." I stand up feeling shaky and try to take her from his arms but he steps back.

"I can drive you there but infortunatly, since I'm a fugitive, I can't act as your legal guardian to keep you guys out of foster care." Apollo says sadly, already heading towards the door.

I know what we have to do, fight to stay together but we have to tell them about Jason and Leo. We can't leave them by themselves and we can't send them here. We'll get out of foster care as soon as possible, as soon as Hazel's better. Of course, that could take months or even years but we could do it. I look over at Thalia and see the determination in her eyes. She's reached the same conclusion I have. Nico, who I hadn't realised was gone comes round the corner with Hestia. His eyes are red so it's obvious he's been crying but he seems okay now, chatting away.

As soon as he sees us he comes pelting down the corridor and launches himself into my arms. He's trying not to look at Hazel and he buries his head in my shoulder.


	14. Foster Care and Social Workers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hi. I'm sure no one is reading this because I just vanished and also it's awful.

Percy POV

Apollo leads us to a big red van like thing and hands Hazel over to Thalia. We climb in the back and Nico pulls Hazel's head into his lap and pushes her hair out of her face. The drive to the hospital is spent in silence and it feels like it takes hours rather than minutes. When we finally arrive Apollo gives us all a sad smile before driving away and leaving us to face the huge building one our own.

Thalia scoops Nico up and I shift Hazels head onto my shoulder, we stand like that side by side for a few minutes before Thalia finally gets up the courage to approach the doors and I follow her. As soon as we get inside I take a seat while Thalia goes to explain our situation to the ER nurse. I'm only there for a minute before someone is wheeling a gurney towards us and I'm having Hazel taken out of my arms and then someone is leading me and Nico away. They take us to a conference room and they tell us to wait for a social worker.

As soon as they leave I turn to Nico, "Don't tell them your surname Nico or they'll take you back to your parents."

Nico nods and climbs onto my lap. We'd done this before, of course or at least I had. I'd been taken back to Gabe and my mother, they left again though this time it was a little more violent. After that if I was ever caught it was Percy, just Percy. Few people know my surname now, it's Jackson.

Finally the door opens and a man walks in, he's pretty old and in a wheelchair so I suppose I should say wheeled not walked. "Hello, I'm Mr. Bruner but you can call me Chiron," he says, taking a seat across from us.

I don't respond, just stare at him while Nico buries his face in my shoulder. Apparently Chiron is used to this because he just continues, "I'm your social worker. Apparently you're homeless, is that true?"

"Where is she? Where's Hazel?" Nico asks, lifting his head to look at Chiron.

"She's being taken care of," he says kindly then turns back to me, "How many more of you are there? And where?" he sighs when I just look at him, "We're not trying to hurt you, we're trying to help you. I know you've probably been through this a thousand times but I'm begging you to trust me."

"There are two, they're in the sixth abandoned warehouse on Carmen." I say, they'll find the rich brats and say we kidnapped them. The rich brats will say we did and then I'll be blamed and sent away, that's how this thing works.

"Carmen?" Chiron asks, obviously confused by the street slang.

I sigh, "Sixth Street."

"All right," he nods, making a note in his little black book. "Now, what's your name?"

"Percy," I answer, "Where's Thalia?"

"Do you have a surname, Percy?" he asks and I shake my head, asking again, "Where's Thalia?"

"Your friend is in the room next door with another social worker, we thought it would be best if the person who dealt with her was female." Chiron explains.

I shake my head at him, "No, you thought it was better if you kept us separated in case we tried anything. I know how this whole thing works."

Chiron sighs again, "We're trying to help you. Social services isn't the enemy."

"I know that, you're just not very good at weeding out the good foster parents from the bad. You're stuck in a system but I just want to stay out if it." I say, pulling Nico closer to me. He's crying, maybe because of Hazel or maybe because of this how blasted situation or maybe just because he's had enough.

Chiron sighs yet again and says, "You and the little boy will be taken to a foster home not far from here and we'll keep you posted on what happens to the little girl, Hazel you called her. Your friend Thalia will also be told what happens to Hazel but we'll be sending her to an all-girls home somewhere else. You can see her sometimes."

"I want to see Hazel!" Nico shouts, "I want to see my sister, she's only nine. She'll be scared, I need to go to her." He sobs, pounding his fists against my back.

They don't let us see her though and all I can do is hold him while he screams. No one bothers to try and comfort him. They just put us in a car with Chiron, giving us pitying looks and whispering to each other.

Piper POV

No one follows us as the blond dude drags me out the room, he's fuming and he's starting to hurt my arm. He pushes me away from him as soon as we're in his desired room. It's huge with floor to ceiling windows making up one wall, though they don't have any glass and most are covered in plastic.

I stumble as he shoves me backwards, "Ow, what do you think you're doing?" I shout.

He glares at me, "You think you're so great don't you? With your big fancy mansion and a million servants but you are a petty stuck-up bitch. You have no idea what it is to care about another person more than yourself. You think you are all there is and that you have the right to force your rule over us just because of circumstance. Do you think this was a choice we all made? Do you think we want to be homeless and hungry?" he shoves me again.

"Well of course you do otherwise you'd be living in a mansion wouldn't you?" I laugh but I'm feeling uncertain. What does he mean? Of course they chose this, right?

"No, you absolute idiot. Maybe I would but Percy, Nico, Hazel, Leo they would be living in hell holes. Nico and Hazel were kicked out of their home because they weren't their step-mothers children. They were six and seven years old. Leo's mother died and nobody would take him in so he had nowhere to go. Percy's family abandoned him while he was at school. We want love and safety, we want what you have but you hate it. You despise us!" he shouts and he's so angry that he's flushed red.

I stare at him, all my life I've been taught that being poor was a choice. That the poor were stupid and worthless but some of them were just children who wanted more. Most of them. Not a choice, how could it not be what it my parents told me it was? What my mom told me, I correct myself. My dad always left the room when the topic came up.

"I'm sorry," I whispered and he stops. He goes dead still, staring at me in shock so I continue, "I've been taught that what you are is a choice but maybe I was wrong, maybe."

He wavers, like he's considering whether or not I'm telling the truth. Maybe he decides I am because he says, "I can show you, the truth that is. What it's really like, the good and the bad."

"What do you mean?" I ask, even though we're thirteen and somewhere deep down it is still ingrained in me to think he's a rat and stupid it feels like we're older than that. Like we could just maybe be like those couples in books, in love with one another. I'll be fourteen in a month anyway, that's old enough to be in love.

He takes my hand and leads me over to the windows, the sun is coming up now and it's beautiful. I've never been up this high before or in this sector of the city without a bodyguard. There are people on the tops of the buildings, running along them or just sitting on them. Most of the people on the streets are beggars or scavengers, a lot of them are like me as well. The rich glaring at the poor with disdain.

There's a group of kids asleep two buildings away from us, older than the ones in this building. Maybe sixteen or seventeen. Kids.

"There are more of us than you think," Jason says, "We just keep away from you. On the rooftops, in the trees and under the ground. The city is not what you think it is, we even have our own sectors and domains. Right now we're in Carmen, no one owns or controls this part. It's free, though Luke and Reyna do tend to keep an eye on things around here. They control the surrounding sectors, Amber, Ruby, Lake, Swallow, Emerald and Finch. They probably control more but those are the official Titan/Jupiter sectors. The Hunters control Gemini, Ares and Silver. There are other less friendly gangs controlling most of the other sectors." He shudders.

"You have your own rules here?" I ask, staring at the parts of the city he pointed out. Strangely enough someone took the time to paint lines all over the tops of the buildings and on the ground clearly marking the sectors. "And how do you know what sector you're in, are they colour coded?"

"Yes and yes. They are coloured coded but I don't know how or why, that's Percy and Thalia's thing, not mine. I just know the order they go in and who rule the ones I get to go to." He explains with a shrug. The streets are more complicated than I thought. I stare at him, with the sun turning his hair golden he looks like some sort of deity. Like a god. Impressive and fair.

I shake my head, what am I thinking? He's a street kid I can't like him. "Um, are they in charge? Percy and Thalia?" I ask.

"Yeah, Percy saved Nico and Hazel, me too for that matter. Thalia saved me and Leo, we look after each other but Percy and Thalia look after us. They find the food and the blankets, they keep us alive." He sounds sad as he says this, like he wishes it was him who did all of that.

I take his hand even though it's been drilled into me that I'll catch some sort of terrible disease if I touch one of them. "How old are they?"

"Fourteen, almost fifteen but they've been doing this since they were ten." He answers, gripping my hand really hard.

Ten, they were ten. When I was ten I was throwing tea parties for fairies and wearing little high heels not looking after a bunch of little kids on the street. Maybe Annabeth is right, maybe these kids do need our help. He turns to look at me, he's crying now. The sun making the tears glisten and his blue eyes bright and I kiss him. I kiss him because I want to break the rules my parents have enforced upon me for my entire life, because he looks like he needs it and maybe, just maybe, because I like him a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I promise I'll update soon!


	15. The Samuel's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop! Updating. I don't know what half of this chapter is, please forgive me.
> 
> TW: mentions of self-harm, suicide, and sexual assault.

Calypso POV

I start awake for no reason, Leo is still sitting by the fire. I check my watch, I've been asleep for an hour. I get up and walk over to sit down next to him. He starts, nearly dropping the stick he's holding back into the dying fire.

"Hi," I say.

"Hi," he says back, drawing something with the charred end of the stick.

I lean over to look at it, it looks like a blueprint. A really complicated one of a dragon, he's drawn a diagram for the building of a mechanical dragon. Festus he's written under it. Below that drawing is a ship with a dragon figurehead, it looks like an ancient Greek trimer. Around it, he's written words like Flying and Fire and under it, he's called it the Argo II.

"You're really talented you know," I tell him and he looks at me in astonishment.

"These are just sketches I do when I'm bored, they're not that good." He mutters, "And anyway they're far too imaginative, we don't really have the technology to make a flying ship."

"We have made a flying ship before, you know?" I say, watching as he starts drawing another diagram.

"Yeah and it crashed during its test drive, just fell right out of the sky." He says, putting the finishing touches to his new invention. It's a table apparently called Buford.

We sit in silence after that while he draws and perfects diagram after diagram. He's not paying attention to me anymore, completely absorbed in his work. It's pretty amazing to watch how he can create designs that surpass that of some of the most impressive designs I've ever seen and those were by some of the greatest engineers of the century.

"I'm sorry about what Piper said," I say, finally breaking the silence.

"It's fine, she thinks she's superior to us. I get it, everyone thinks they're superior to us." Leo shrugs, "Jason won't hurt her, you know, though I don't understand why you didn't you after them."

I shrug, "To be honest I don't know why we didn't go after them. Maybe we knew he wouldn't hurt her or maybe we all think it's time Piper gets what's always been coming to her."

"Yeah, well she's a bitch. How are you guys friends with her anyway, if she's so horrible and all?" he asks.

"I don't know, friend choices are pretty limited and she used to be really sweet. She's not that bad a person really, she's just misguided and if we dropped Piper it would be awkward because Annabeth and Piper are best friends and our parents are best friends." I explain. Piper really isn't that bad she's just been raised to think a certain way.

"Huh, I guess they don't let many people into the elite circles," Leo says, throwing his stick back into the fire.

"You should probably sleep," I say, "Your friends not going to get better if you worry about her."

I get up and he follows me, he climbs into bed next to Annabeth and Will. He doesn't fall asleep though, he's building something under the sheets. Maybe it's a little model of his dragon or maybe it's something completely different.

888

The door bursts open and people flood in, it seems they had to take Hazel to the hospital then. They seem surprised to see us. They take us downstairs and separate us from Jason and Leo. We get taken to a police station and told that our parents have been worried and will be here to collect us soon. They also tell us that the kids won't go unpunished for kidnapping us even though we tell them they didn't. Piper keeps asking what happened to Jason but no one listens to us. Our voices are lost in a storm.

Thalia POV

I watch as they lead Percy, with Nico in his arms, to a different car. He doesn't see me sitting in a car but I can see that Nico's crying and Percy is getting pitying looks. The social worker keeps trying to talk to me, her name is Lucy, but I don't engage so she eventually gives up and asks the driver to start moving.

I'm off to live with a nice sounding couple call Mr and Mrs Samuels, they only foster teenage girls which is why that's where I'm going. I guess they think Percy isn't safe around girls or that I don't have enough female guidance. Whatever the reason it's stupid and I hate it.

"They're very nice people and I'm sure you'll get on tremendously with all the other girls. There are four of them." Lucy says and I ignore her, "One of them is called Jasmine and she's seventeen, she's the eldest. Then there's Drew and Clarisse who are sixteen and Lacy who's thirteen. When your friend Hazel is well enough she'll come to stay here too even though she's only nine."

When I still don't respond she sighs, "Look, Thalia, we want to help you and I know you don't want to be split up from your friends but it's for the best. You're safe now."

"From what? From who? Percy who is the only person in the world who has ever shown me real kindness? Nico who is a ten-year-old boy scared for his sister's life?" I ask her quietly, "Jason who is my brother afraid? Leo who might just be dying too? Who am I safe from?!"

"Anyone who might hurt you. You're a girl who is turning into a woman, a very pretty one at that and he is a boy turning into a man. You both have desires and sometimes boys aren't very good at controlling them," she says.

I laugh coldly, "You think Percy's gonna rape me or something like that. We've been living together for the past three or four years, he's practically my brother."

"You may think that but-" she starts.

I interrupt her, "I know that, Percy has helped to feed me and four other kids who he had no need to help for the past two years. Before we found him it was me and Jason, neither of us had any experience on the streets. I was ten and here comes this kid who's the same age as me but has been doing this for two years already. It's been almost four years since he found us and helped me look after my brother. We've basically raised three kids together, he's my best friend and he's never hurt me."

"I don't doubt it, but there are other dangers being with him present and they couldn't take all of you." She's lying but I don't call her out on it because there's no point.

The rest of the car ride passes in silence. When we arrive Mr and Mrs Samuels are waiting for us with one of the girls. She looks to be about thirteen so it must be Lacy, maybe she's going to be my buddy. I sink down in my seat but Lucy opens my car door and forces me out.

"This is going to be your new home, at least for the next few months," Lucy says as though I don't already know that. I raise my eyebrows at her and she continues, "Thalia, Mr and Mrs Samuels have been kind enough to give you a single room and Lacy will take you up there now. I will be back tomorrow to check on you but for now, I have to talk to the adults."

I sigh and follow Lacy into the house. She won't stop talking even though I don't answer any of her questions. I feel out of place with my old ripped clothes, ragged hair and gruff street manner. This place is all light and clean. Lacy is even wearing a white frilly dress.

"This is your room," Lacy says, "I wish I could have my own room but I have to share with Drew. She's my half-sister which is why they put us in a room together rather than putting her in with Clarisse. That and the fact that they can't stand each other." She notices that I'm just standing there awkwardly, "Well, aren't you going to go in? There's a clean set of clothes for you on the bed and the bathroom is down the hall if you want to freshen up." She grins and I mutter a thanks.

I push open the door to my room, Lacy leaves to do whatever it is she does. The room is bigger than I expected, about six by five metres painted a light green. The bed is in the corner of the room farthest from the door and it has light blue linen. There's an empty bookshelf and a desk. There's even an armchair by the window. It's like they expecting somebody to need this room. The clean clothes Lacy spoke of are a clean pair of jeans and a back long-sleeved top. There is also a clean bra and panties and a toothbrush.

I follow Lacy's instructions and go into the bathroom. I feel bad for taking the time to do all of this while Jason and Leo are feeling taken into care and Hazel might be dying but I stink and it's not like I can do anything all of that. I make sure to lock the door before I remove any items of clothing just in case. The water in the shower is warm and it's been a long time since I had a warm shower. I wash my hair and do all of that crap.

When I'm done I smell like vanilla and strawberries but I feel clean which is something. The clothes hang off me. They were obviously bought with a normal sized fourteen years old in mind, not a malnourished street kid. I stare at myself in the mirror, without all the dirt my skin is pale and you can clearly see the dark circles under my eyes. My wet hair is plastered to my face, I look vulnerable and pathetic.

Someone knocks on the door, "Thalia are you okay? You've been in there a while."

"I'm fine!" I say shout grumpily back, flinging the door open. The girl on the other side looks surprised by my appearance. From what I gathered from all the things Lacy said this is Jasmine, the seventeen-year-old.

"Um, hi. Sorry, it's just when I first came here I used to lock myself in the bathroom and do things that I don't want you to do. I don't know where you came from but I know you're not like Lacy, Drew and Clarisse whose parents died and then they came here and I'm not like them either. Sorry." She says.

Suddenly I remember all the facts Jason used to spout about how children from difficult backgrounds would have a harder time adjusting and often got depressed. "You think I'm going to cut myself," I say.

"No, yes, maybe," she sighs, "I don't know, what I do know is you're sad and angry and confused and all those things can make very bad things happen."

"I'm not going to kill myself or maim myself, at least not until my brother and all the other people I love are okay," I tell her then I shove past her and walk back to my room.

She thinks I'm going to kill myself or cut myself. I laugh darkly at that, I mean sure I've thought about it but I'm not giving up on this. I'm not giving up on Percy or Jason or Nico or Hazel or even Leo because that would mean there was no hope left and there is. There's hope, as freaking cheesy and cliché as that sounds.


End file.
